Brewington v. Western Union Telegraph Co.

183 P.2d 872, 163 Kan. 534, 1947 Kan. LEXIS 369
CourtSupreme Court of Kansas
DecidedAugust 9, 1947
DocketNo. 36,996
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 183 P.2d 872 (Brewington v. Western Union Telegraph Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Kansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Brewington v. Western Union Telegraph Co., 183 P.2d 872, 163 Kan. 534, 1947 Kan. LEXIS 369 (kan 1947).

Opinion

The opinion of the court was delivered by

Wedell, J.

This action was instituted in the district court pursuant to the provisions of G. S. 1945 Supp. 44-512a to recover workmen’s compensation alleged to be due from the employer under a previous award. Defendant appeals from the order overruling its demurrer to the petition.

The petition, in substance, alleged:

Op January 17, 1946, the district court of Crawford county rendered a judgment in favor of the plaintiff and against the defendant, The Western Union Telegraph Company, a corporation, for compensation for an accidental injury sustained by plaintiff while working for defendant; the compensation recovered was for a period of not to exceed 415 weeks at the rate of $9 per week; it was further ordered that defendant pay plaintiff the sum of $477 in one lump sum and that the balance of compensation be paid at the rate of $9 per week until fully paid or until the further order of the district court or the workmen’s compensation commissioner of the state of Kansas; defendant did not appeal from that judgment and it has become final; thereafter and on or about June 3, 1946, defendant filed an application for review and modification of the judgment before the commissioner; after hearings on the application for review and modification the'commissioner on January 7, 1947, made an order and award terminating plaintiff’s compensation as of that date; the order and award of the commissioner is an appeal-able order and award and is not a final adjudication of defendant’s motion for review and modification; on January 10, 1947, plaintiff appealed from the ruling and award of the commissioner to the district court; that appeal is pending at this time; the defendant paid compensation to plaintiff to January 7,1947.

The petition, in substance, further alleged:

On or about January 20,1947, defendant was served by registered mail with a written demand' for payment of the unpaid installments of compensation awarded and adjudged to the plaintiff by ■the district' court on January 17, 1946; the demand was for compensation then due and accumulated; the demand was ignored and [536]*536no payment was made for a period in excess of two weeks from the date of the demand; there is due in unpaid installments the sum of $2/793.

The former judgment, referred to in the petition, was rendered in favor of Margaret Arvilla Jones, who has remarried and whose name is now Margaret Jones Brewington, the plaintiff-appellee in this action.

The demurrer to the petition was on the following grounds:

“1. The court has no jurisdiction of the subject of the action.
“2. There is another action pending between the same parties for the same cause.
“3. That the petition does not state facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action for the said plaintiff against the said defendant.”

The pertinent portion of G. S. 1945 Supp. 44-512a provides:

“That if any compensation awarded, agreed upon or adjudged under the provisions of the workmen’s compensation act of this state or any installment thereof shall not be paid to the employee or other person entitled thereto when due, and service of written demand for payment has been made personally or by registered mail on the person, firm or corporation liable to pay the same, payment of said demand is thereafter either refused or not made within two weeks from the date of service of said demand, then the entire amount of compensation awarded, agreed upon or adjudged shall become immediately due and payable and said employee or other person entitled to said compensation may maintain an action in any court of competent jurisdiction for the collection thereof in like manner as for the collection of a debt.” .

In order for appellee to prevail it was, of course, necessary that compensation be due and payable at the time she made her demand therefor pursuant to the foregoing statute. Her petition concedes the commissioner had previously terminated all compensation and that the district court had not reviewed the record on appeal from such ruling and had not reversed the new award of the commissioner. Counsel for appellee contend compensation was nevertheless due. In harmony with their customary adroitness they argue that notwithstanding the new award of the commissioner, unchanged by appeal, the previous award of the district court, unappealed from, remained in full force and effect until the district court reviewed the new award of the commissioner. In other words, this action is predicated squarely on the provisions of the former judgment of the district court.

Appellant concedes no appeal was taken from the former judgment of the district court and that all parties are bound by its [537]*537provisions. It, however, denies the' award of the district court remains in full force and effect until the district court reviews the new award of the commissioner made on the hearing for a review and modification of the award of the district court. Appellant contends the judgment of the district court was by express terms limited in its duration as follows:

“. . . until fully paid or until the further order of this Court or the Workmen’s Compensation Commissioner of the State of Kansas.” (Our italics.)

as affirmatively disclosed in the petition of appellee.

Appellant, in substance, contends appellee cannot accept the benefits of one portion of the judgment of the district court, which provides compensation shall be paid at the rate of $9 per week, and repudiate the other portion of the same judgment which expressly limits the period over which such payments shall be made. In that view we concur. The judgment of the district court, in the absence of an appeal by either party, bound both parties with respect to all of its provisions.

We, however, believe it is unnecessary to stress the binding effect of the judgment of the district court which limits the payment of $9 per week until further order of the workmen’s compensation commissioner. Appellee concedes that part of the judgment conforms to the existing law on the subject. Both parties, at any time before final payment of the award, had the right, upon a proper application, to obtain a review before the compensation commissioner for the purpose of having the old award modified. The pertinent provisions of G. S. 1945 Supp. 44-528 read:

“At any time before but not after the final payment has been made under or pursuant to any award or modification thereof agreed upon by the parties, it may be reviewed by the commissioner upon good cause shown upon the application of either pai-ty and in connection with such review the commissioner may appoint a physician or surgeon, or two physicians or surgeons to examine the workman and report to the commissioner and the commissioner shall hear all competent evidence offered and if he shall find that the award has been obtained by fraud or undue influence, or that the committee, or arbitrator, making the award acted without authority, or was guilty of serious misconduct, or that the award is excessive or inadequate, or that the incapacity or disability of the workman has increased or diminished, the commissioner may modify such award upon such terms as may be just by increasing or diminishing the compensation subject to the limitations hereinbefore provided in this act. . . .” (Our italics.)

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
183 P.2d 872, 163 Kan. 534, 1947 Kan. LEXIS 369, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/brewington-v-western-union-telegraph-co-kan-1947.